


Hello Sunshine!

by Agwen



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: Chaptered, F/M, Gen, Ghosts, Humor, Mostly Gen, Mystery, Post-Series, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Sibling Bonding, Slice of Life, Slow To Update, Supernatural Elements, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-25
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2017-12-30 15:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agwen/pseuds/Agwen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the shunned barren tree becomes his favorite haunt, Naru discovers Yoyogi park isn't all sunshine and rainbows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sunny, but cold

"Hello sunshine!"

 

He took his eyes off the book he was reading. That troublesome woman again. If it hadn't been for her he would have been sitting in the comfort of his office. Drinking _delicious_ tea. 

 

Naru made a gruff sound, which made her laugh.

 

Somehow Naru had managed to get himself injured during a case. Madoka just happened to be there. He hadn't the faintest idea what happened while he was unconscious. Evidently Madoka was told that he didn't look very healthy so she allowed him to check his blood. The doctors told her that he was suffering from low vitamin D levels. Their advice was to let him sit in the sunlight more often. Apparently it would take months of sun exposure to get it to a normal level. Naru suspected they didn't offer him any supplements, because he was also in need of a _'tan'_.

 

Naru agreed that the low vitamin D levels weren't very healthy and would eventually prove to be disadvantageous to his body.

 

So, fine.

 

In that case, he would sit in the sun more often. 

 

Or so he thought.

 

Madoka had argued that his habits never changed. Simply opening a window in the office wasn't enough for her. He would have to sit in the park.

 

Or so she thought.

 

"So you came after all," the above-mentioned person said.

 

Naru replied with a scoff, "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

 

Madoka laughed.

 

"Your parents will be very happy to hear this."

 

To be perfectly honest, Naru never expected Madoka to force him outside - in the cold - at the behest of his parental units. They were always overly concerned with his health. For that reason he shouldn't be surprised that she told them he didn't try to expose himself to the sun more often than usual.

 

(Usual equals to twenty-four-seven in the office and apartment minus the cases.)

 

"I suppose they will. They keep treating me like a child."

 

"Well, you _are_ a child."

 

"I'm _twenty_ , Madoka."

 

"It's not all that much in their eyes," she said, and looked around, "Is Yoyogi park to your liking?"

 

"...it's busy."

 

Some kid threw a ball at his face a couple minutes ago. That didn't make Naru very happy.

 

"Oh, it's not all that bad. Just wait until the cherry blossom season comes around."

 

No.

 

No!

 

Naru wanted to avoid the cherry blossoms at all costs.

 

Madoka sat down next to him beneath the barren tree.

 

Curiously it was the only tree in the park without fresh green leaves growing on it at this time of the year. However, it was also the only tree in the entire park that had no obnoxious people hanging around it. 

 

Except that not long after he had settled down an elderly lady had approached him with a distraught face and had looked at him as if he was her long lost grandchild. _'You had better sit in another place. Something might happen!'_ she had sobbed. He had tried to ignore her, but she persisted in a high-pitched voice, _'Rumour has it that anyone who sits beneath this barren tree will see a ghost or be cursed in one form or another!'_

 

Naru had frowned and politely told her to _scram_ if that rumour held any truth. The elderly lady took his advice and hurried away. Apparently she had not noticed she had been standing underneath the barren tree while she was talking to him.

 

Alas, he had not observed any paranormal activities so far and passed his time reading a book ever since.

 

"So, how was the trip from the office?"

 

"Subway was crowded."

 

There was a lot of space, but some stupid salary-man fell asleep on his shoulder. Almost, drooling. Thankfully Naru had to get out on the next stop.

 

"Oh, you took the subway? You should have taken a walk. It's not that far."

 

A twenty minutes walk!

 

"I doubt it makes a difference in the amount of exposure to the sun..."

 

"I wasn't talking about that. You need to exercise too," Madoka said with an insistent voice.

 

He was inclined to agree, but Naru wouldn't go as far as to admit the sad truth.

 

"Hm," he said and looked away from her.

 

Madoka looked up at the tree, but she made no mention of its atypical features. Naru returned to his book and turned a page. It caught her attention immediately.

 

"What are you reading?"

 

"Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad," Naru said and glanced back at her.

 

She pulled a bitter face.

 

"That's not very uplifting, is it?"

 

"No, it isn't."

 

"Why are you reading that on a sunny day like this?"

 

Naru didn't answer her. He once read it for school, but it was one of those novels he never managed to finish due to its content. It didn't interest him. At all. Nonetheless he wasn't one to leave things unfinished. Not to mention he needed something to pass time while he was in the park. Above all it suited his current mood.

 

"Oh! I have something that would cheer you up!" she suddenly chirped, and opened her bag, "Have some tea!"

 

She pushed something cold into his hands. Naru grimaced at a can containing chilled green tea, but she failed to notice his disapproval and merely smiled.

 

"Are you going to check on me every time I come here?" Naru asked, opening the can.

 

She shook her head.

 

"No, but someone else will do."

 

"Who?"

 

Madoka held a finger in front of her lips.

 

"That's a secret."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this is the start to what will most likely be a low-priority series of (mostly humoristic) drabbles. There is one self-imposed limitation. It will only take place in Yoyogi park. Okay, that sounds boring, but anything can happen in a park right? Also, I don't know how long this will run. I have vague plans, but things such as plot and ratings are not set in stone.


	2. Blessings and a curse

Something light hit his forehead and dropped on top of the pages of his book. The fallen object was a scrolled up piece of paper. He flicked it away with a quick movement of his fingers.

 

A loud female voice suddenly roared into his direction.

 

"YOU!"

 

Naru looked up. A middle-aged woman pointed at him with a trembling finger. Her grim face wrinkled into a grimace. The strange figure wasn't very pleasant to look at.

 

"Yes..?" he said, blinking his eyes.

 

Slowly she lowered her finger.

 

"Be careful of this tree!" she warned with a raw voice.

 

The young man frowned at her. Who was this rude woman and why was she talking to him? Naru inspected her closely. She wore square glasses, had cropped curly black hair and her clothing indicated that she was of low social standing. From the way she behaved herself she was probably someone he should ignore.

 

However, the mentioning of the tree caught his interest, so he narrowed his eyes and sat upright.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"This tree!" The woman exclaimed, dramatically spreading her arms. "This tree has sent a malevolent male spirit upon you!"

 

The young boss looked very much unimpressed.

 

"Yes, _and_...?"

 

Her head shook furiously as she conveyed her message of terror.

 

"He will make your life miserable!"

 

Naru stared at her for a while, then sighed. He leaned back against the tree and continued reading his book. There was no point in taking this any further. He concluded she was mad.

 

Unfortunately, the woman wouldn't leave him alone.

 

"Hey, pay up!" she yelled and held her hand out.

 

He glared at her.

 

"What?"

 

The woman put her hands on her hips, threw her head back and looked down at him with a large grin.

 

"I'm a professional fortune teller."

 

He scoffed.

 

"I never asked for your services.”

 

"No, you _did_ ask for it."

 

She threw a business card at Naru just when he was about to argue back.

 

He read, _'Yoyogi Barren Tree O-Mikuji, Every weekend (incl. Friday), Free of charge to whomever is underneath the barren tree.'_

 

Naru sighed.

 

"It says _free_ of charge."

 

She swayed her hips and said, "Read the small letters."

 

He looked at the card again. There was indeed a line with very small letters at the bottom.

 

It read, _'First time service requires payment of 50 yen.'_

 

That was absolute nonsense.

 

"See?" The fortune teller triumphantly pointed out.

 

"No, I won't," he said, not giving in.

 

She made a cat-like grin.

 

"It's only 50 yen. Can't you even afford something like that?"

 

Oh, she was playing it like this?

 

"That's very nice, but I don't intend to pay you,” he said, and pulled out a cell phone, “Please go away before I call the police."

 

Before the woman could react, a person stepped beside her.

 

"I'll pay."

 

A girl with middle-long brown hair held a can in front of the fortune teller's face. She wore a grey skirt, black knee-high socks and a brown jacket.

 

Naru frowned.

 

“Mai?”

 

He hadn't seen the girl in a while, so this came as a surprise.

 

"Actually, I don't have any money with me, but I do have this can of coffee worth 100 yen. Will you accept it?" Mai said to the woman.

 

The woman was surprised at her offer, but seemed pleased.

 

"That will do," she said and took the can from her.

 

The woman apparently started looking in her purse for small change, but Mai quickly refused it. Instead the girl came over to the moody young man underneath the barren tree.

 

"Hello sunshine," she said with a sarcastic smile. “Long time no see.”

 

Naru didn't bother greeting her.

 

"What are you doing here?" he asked. “I thought you were busy with your studies.”

 

"Well, I heard that you would be here. So I thought of visiting you," she replied. "It's not far away from university."

 

“I see. So you have that much free time,” Naru said with a smirk, “No wonder you failed one of your classes.”

 

“What are you talking about, you idiot scientist? That was just-” Mai said, but a hand on her shoulder made her stop.

 

"Hey you," the woman said.

 

Mai turned her head.

 

"Eh?"

 

Naru was displeased to see the fortune teller still around, but Mai smiled at her.

 

"Oh you really don't have to give me change. I-"

 

"That won't do! Here!"

 

The woman pushed a piece of folded paper into her hands and immediately scurried off. They stared after her until she disappeared into a crowd.

 

"Um, what just happened?" Mai asked.

 

Naru brought a palm to his face.

 

"I have no idea."

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

She looked down at her hand.

 

“Ah, it's an o-mikuji!"

 

"O-mikuji?"

 

"Oh, you don't know about them? These are fortunes written on strips of paper. You can get them at a shrine or temple for about... five yen...?" She frowned and slapped her forehead. “Hey, I've been ripped off!”

 

Naru smirked at her. “That was very stupid of you.”

 

“Maybe not,” Mai said and stuck out her tongue. “Perhaps I'm lucky this time.”

 

After unfolding part of the paper she broke into a grin.

 

"Oh this is so awesome! I never got this before," she sat down next to him and nearly pushed the paper into his face. "Look look! I have a _Great Blessing_!"

 

He stared at the piece of paper, but could barely read it. Yeah, he knew 'great', but he could vaguely recall the kanji for 'blessing'. Naru pushed her hand away.

 

"Do you really believe those things?" he muttered and drew his attention back to his book again.

 

"Not really, but it's fun to look at," she replied, "But that's only a general blessing. They also list fortunes regarding specific aspects of life."

 

"Really," he commented without listening intently.

 

Mai slowly unfolded the rest of the paper and smiled at what she read.

 

"One's wish or desire... a small blessing! Hm, a person being waited for, lost articles, business dealings, studies... Great blessing, blessing, blessings!"

 

"Good for you," he said.

 

She started giggling, "Now it comes... romantic relationships.."

 

There was only silence and Naru glanced at her after he heard a little sob.

 

"What?"

 

Mai was pouting.

 

"What's wrong?"

 

He looked over her shoulder and tried to read it.

 

_Romantic relationships: Near curse._

 

"I thought you didn't believe those things."

 

"No, I don't!" she angrily said, "Next! ...Oh, this is good, I wonder if I'll move into a new spacey apartment soon."

 

Mai stared dreamily in front of her.

 

She continued, "Childbirth or pregnancy... Great blessing."

 

Naru raised an eyebrow.

 

"What? Pregnancy?"

 

Mai stared back at him and bit on her lip. 

 

"I'm not pregnant!" she growled.

 

"Why do you say that?" he said, "It's just surprising that they include those kind of things as well."

 

She sighed.

 

"Well, these o-mikuji are for all people in general. They have to include everything."

 

"Right."

 

"Oh, illness. Blessing," she said, "Last one's also big.... marriage proposal or engagement... Small blessing!"

 

"How can that be when you have a Near curse for romantic relationships?" Naru said, "It's not logical."

 

She huffed.

 

"I don't care about your logic."

 

Naru ignored her and returned to reading his book. Similarly, Mai stared at some children playing with their parents. She made a sad smile.

 

He suddenly spoke, "Or..."

 

"Hm? Or what?"

 

"Perhaps it's an arranged marriage."

 

She almost exploded.

 

"No way! I would _never_!"

 

He smirked at her.

 

"Why wouldn't you?"

 

"Idiot, I'd never do that," she quietly said and looked away.

 

"Poor girls may want to marry a rich guy. What do they call it? Omiai. That's pretty convenient, isn't?"

 

She gave him a glare with her cheeks red.

 

"That's not funny at all,” she bristled and as if wanting to make a point, she added, “I'm going to get some tea. _I'll_ pay!"

 

Mai ran off.

 

Naru suddenly heard a whistling sound above him. At first he mistook it for a bird, but it eerily sounded like a human whistling. He wasn't wrong, because an adolescent male voice from above spoke.

 

_'”Whoa whoa, that was really low! I can't believe he said that.”_

 

He looked up and saw a black clad young man up in the tree.

 

The malevolent male spirit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naru is such a ray of sunshine.
> 
> *cough*
> 
> As of today, 50 yen equals 0.41 Euro equals 0.53 US Dollar.
> 
> Omiai is a Japanese tradition of matchmaking. I don't think it's very probable that a poor girl is matched with a rich guy through such means though, but who knows.
> 
> Anyway, I had fun with writing the fortune teller. She was somewhat inspired by the fortune teller in the prologue of Cheese in the Trap. Only more dramatic. Hm, I wonder who she is?
> 
> But more importantly, who is the malevolent male spirit?


	3. Two idiots

For a while their identical blue eyes stared at each other and their mouths did not move. A startled Naru looked as if he had just spawned a clone. 

 

“Gene?”

 

The young man in the tree burst into laughter. Contradictory to the fortune teller's statement, this wasn't the malevolent spirit. It really was Gene. His laughter was the same silly and boyish laughter he remembered from past times. Other times they had seen and communicated with each other through mirrors, but they were always separated by a wall of glass. Now Gene looked as vivid as he could be.

 

Naru didn't recover himself from the shock until his twin greeted him enthusiastically, “Hel _looo_ sunshine!”

 

Within seconds Naru's irritation grew exponentially.

 

“Idiot!” he hissed.

 

That was when the boy jumped out of the tree and slowly landed on the grass. Gene's spirit form had copied Naru's outward appearance like a mirror image. Like him he looked twenty even though he technically never reached that age.

 

Gene was in front of him and cocked his head to the side.

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

His brother wasn't amused.

 

"Isn't that my line? You should cross over already.”

 

“Hm? Don't ask me. I woke up in this tree and that's all I know.”

 

Gene went to stand next to his twin. Naru looked up to him in awe. It seemed just as if Gene was really there. He tried touching him, but his hand went right through his leg. Naru looked at his own hand with an expressionless face. He couldn't feel anything but a lingering chill. He was still intangible. Existing in the physical plane and yet not.

 

His brother looked down with a small smile.

 

“Hey, don't look so disappointed," he said

 

Naru sharply looked up at him.

 

“I'm not.”

 

Gene shrugged and crouched down and met him face to face. It felt like looking into a mirror, until he smiled warmly at his brother.

 

"You've gotten even more handsome now," he said after some observation.

 

"Likewise," Naru said.

 

Gene appeared to be unaware of the fact he looked like him, and felt up his own face with his hands to confirm the change. The other wondered whether Gene did feel his spiritual form in whatever manner.

 

"Oh, okay. I thought I would remain sixteen forever," Gene said, slightly disappointed. He wasn't looking forward to the time when his brother would become an old man.

 

"...idiot, we've been talking through mirrors before this."

 

"Right, makes sense," Gene admitted, and returned to his question, “Now really. What are _you_ doing in a public park of all places?”

 

“I was reading until Mai came along,” he answered, but Gene shook his head.

 

“I meant your reason for being here. Idiot scientist.”

 

“Sunshine intake,” he replied. Gene lifted an eyebrow.

 

“What?”

 

Naru explained, “The doctors checked my blood levels and found I have vitamin D deficiency. I'm here to recuperate.”

 

The older brother twitched the corners of his mouth in amusement.

 

“And you agreed to this? Seriously? This is insane, I can't believe you did. How-”

 

He interrupted, “Madoka.”

 

Gene dropped his smirk.

 

“Forget I asked.”

 

Knowing that Naru wouldn't like talking about Madoka and her... peculiar ways, he went in search for a change of subject. So Gene went to stand and patted a hand on the bark of the tree.

 

"This tree is strange..." he murmured after a while.

 

Naru turned his head to the side. 

 

"What about it?"

 

"It looks barren, and yet it has a lot of..."

 

He paused.

 

"...lot of?"

 

"Life force, very energizing," Gene said, and frowned, "Or something. Oh, I don't know. Can't quite tell."

 

"You're vague as ever."

 

"I don't know how else to explain it. Natural entities like trees are not within my expertise, Noll."

 

"That's a given. Is there anything important I need to know..?"

 

"Not at all? Aside from its depressing exterior and me talking to you like this. Nope!"

 

Naru closed the book.

 

"Idiot. Why are you still here? You should cross over."

 

Gene looked irritated.

 

"Are you going to give me that lecture every time you see me?"

 

"Answer my question first."

 

"I don't know. What about you?"

 

"Yes."

 

His older brother sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

 

"Great. What if you see me again the next time you're here? And the next time after that, and after that, and you keep asking the same stupid question."

 

"You know I have a perfectly sound reason to do this. Just what are you getting at?"

 

Gene crossed his arms.

 

"You're _boring,_ Noll. Do something funny."

 

Naru opened his book again and ignored him.

 

His brother sighed and sat down next to him. After a while he asked, "What are you reading?"

 

"The Dandelion Girl."

 

"I thought you weren't into science-fiction romance."

 

"I'm not. Madoka made me read this."

 

Gene refrained from laughing at him. Obviously, Madoka wanted him to expand his horizons beyond the paranormal. Naru considered reading fiction mostly a waste of time.

 

Suddenly, Naru put his book down. He had just finished reading the story.

 

"Wait, why weren't you here last time?"

 

Gene lifted an eyebrow.

 

"What? You've been here before?"

 

"I was here yesterday and Madoka visited me."

 

"I don't remember being there at all."

 

They stared at each other in silence.

 

"Oh, but what about Mai? Maybe she's the cause!” Gene said.

 

"She's gone now and you're still here."

 

"...You're right."

 

“Exactly when did you wake up?”

 

“Uh well... As soon as Mai said, _'I'm not pregnant!_ ', I was all ears.”

 

He groaned and Gene had to laugh again.

 

Naru asked again, “So you didn't see that woman?”

 

“Woman?” Gene tried to recall any memories. “I did hear you talking to someone else, but I was in the middle of waking up I guess. What about it?”

 

"Nothing much. It wasn't very interesting."

 

They were silent again, until Naru pulled a pocket mirror from his jacket. Ever since they found out they could communicate through mirrors, Naru took this with him on cases.

 

"I didn't bring this with me yesterday. Perhaps this is the cause."

 

"That thing? How boring."

 

"Indeed. I'll have to leave it home next time and bring Orwell's 1984 instead," Naru smirked.

 

"How rude! Apologize to your big brother. Now."

 

“Not only you're a wandering spirit, you're noisy too,” he said. _But not as noisy as Mai_ , Naru thought to himself. Gene pouted at him. He considered calling him out for not being respectful for the dead, but knew that he wouldn't listen. So he kept quiet and changed the subject.

 

“Whatever. Is Mai still working for you?” Gene said. “You seem even closer now.”

 

“She quit a half year ago,” Naru said, “She wants to keep up with her studies instead.”

 

“Hm... So that's why I haven't seen her on the recent cases,” he said, and having noticed the faraway look in his brother's eyes, he tried another question, “...so how's it going between you two?”

 

Just as he was about to answer, Naru closed his mouth again. Gene followed his gaze.

 

Mai had returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Dandelion Girl is a short story by Robert F. Young (only about 5600 words). It's a really sweet and touching story. Especially the Japanese seem to be fond of it. I highly recommend it. If you google the title, you can read it.
> 
> You probably know George Orwell's 1984... Big brother is watching you.
> 
> The reason I started writing this story is because of SAD. I have Seasonal affective disorder a.k.a. Winter depression, which appears to be caused by a vitamin D deficiency. Unfortunately the weather isn't helping me to get outside. It's supposed to be spring, but it's almost freezing! *insert teeth gnashing*
> 
> Also, it seems I fail at writing drabble-length chapters. This and the previous chapter ended up well over the thousand words count. Oh well. There's a plot more or less, but I'm going to keep it light and take it easy. At the very least I will not make it as dense as some of my other stories.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Curses and a blessing

The girl walked in a brisk pace up to the tree with a slight frown on her face and passed right through a horrified Gene, who was standing in order to greet her. He made a dramatic drop to his knees and wailed, “Nooooo, she can't see me!”

 

Seeing this Naru tried his best to suppress an amused smile on his lips, but it didn't go unnoticed by the girl.

 

Mai frowned in suspicion and said, "Why are you smiling so creepily?”

 

"No reason,” Naru said, and sighed when she handed him a can of chilled green tea. “This tea is disgusting. Bring me something better next time."

 

Not deigning a response, Mai simply gave him a long stare of disapproval. Behind her back, Gene looked equally stern. His brother didn't even say thanks. Ignoring their stares, Naru clicked the can open, and drank. It really was disgusting.

 

“Were you just talking to someone?” she suddenly asked. “I think I heard you talk.”

 

Gene froze.

 

“No one,” the younger twin replied.

 

Naru did little to explain what he had been doing while she was away. Mai didn't seem convinced, but let it slide in favour of another topic.

 

"Right. Well, what about _your_ o-mikuji?"

 

He blinked.

 

"Mine?"

 

"Yes, that woman should have given you one too." she said.

 

He distinctly remembered something being thrown at his forehead. It must have dropped on the grass. Ah, there it was. He handed the paper to Mai. She unfolded it. Gene looked over her shoulder and grinned at his brother.

 

"Oh, how awful!" she said, holding a hand over her mouth. "Great _curse_."

 

Mai stared at Naru with a look of great pity and slowly unfolded the paper. A pleased Gene floated back into the tree.

 

She continued, "Lost articles... Near small blessing."

 

"I don't care about that. What about the business dealings?"

 

"Great curse."

 

"Ha! Serves you right!" Gene exclaimed from above.

 

"You're doing even worse than me in the romantic department,” Mai mumbled, “Great curse."

 

"Wonderful."

 

Mai continued, "Marriage proposal. Great curse."

 

"Does that thing hate me?" Naru inquired.

 

Mai ignored him, but his bemused brother said, "I think it does."

 

"There's only one great blessing... pregnancy."

 

Gene started cackling.

 

"That's it?" Naru said.

 

Mai gave him an annoyed look. 

 

"What's with _that's it_? Pregnancy is a big thing you know?"

 

"Obviously it doesn't apply to me."

 

She shrugged, "Well, you could make a woman pregnant."

 

"I wouldn't impregnate someone if I failed in the romance and marriage departments. It doesn't make any sense."

 

"Perfectionist," she muttered under her breath, rolled up the piece of paper and handed it back to him. Naru wasn't very sure what to do with it. Unconsciously his fingers reached for the book, but he stopped when he took the paper's writings into consideration. That wouldn't make for a nice present. He shoved the paper in the pocket of his trousers.

 

"But it would make sense if..." 

 

That got Mai's full attention.

 

“If what?”

 

He sighed.

 

"….. if I wasn't able to marry the woman I loved."

 

Up in the tree Gene became terribly concerned. His younger brother the idiot scientist can't possibly have thought up a romantic tragedy all by himself like that?! Even Mai had a hard time believing he said that. "Wha-, what?"

 

Naru quickly recovered himself and pushed the subject far away from his mind.

 

"Shouldn't you be attending your classes?"

 

Mai seemed confused and shrugged a little, "Um, it's fine. I'm too tired. I want to stay here."

 

"If you don't want to stay dumb, you should go. Don't you want to avoid your arranged marriage?" Naru said, but regretted it the instant it left his mouth. Mai just glared at him.

 

That did it. He was going too far. Gene had wanted to punch his brother right there. He yelled, "Idiot! Girls like her are very sensitive about marriage. Especially when they hear that sort of thing from the boy they like!"

 

His younger brother shot him a glare and telepathically said, _'Go away'_. 

 

Gene was still pissed off and folded his arms. Mai noticed Naru's facial expressions. Was he looking at the tree just now? She looked up. There wasn't anyone there.

 

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

 

"You're apologising?"

 

"Yes and you can have this book."

 

He offered her the book. Mai stared at what she had in her hands. A look of surprise crossed her face.

 

"...but... you were reading this..." she said and took it. "What is it about?"

 

"It's about a married man who meets a girl from the future on top of a hill. He falls in love. They meet a few times, but one day she stops coming,” he explained, “I think you'll like it too."

 

"Thank you..." she said and looked very happy.

 

They didn't say anything for a while. Gene was still staring down at them. They were enveloped in a strange and awkward atmosphere. His younger brother seemed expectant of something, but Mai appeared to waver.

 

The tension broke when she turned to him and quickly kissed his cheek. Completely flustered, she got on her feet and took off without looking back.

 

Gene dropped his jaw.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

A startled Naru heard him say, "I have no idea what you did, but you did it very well, Noll."

 

He was sorely disappointed to find his brother still sitting in the tree.

 

_"You're still here?"_

 

Gene floated back down again.

 

"What made you think I was gone? Got caught up in the moment huh?"

 

Naru sighed.

 

_"So we can communicate telepathically too like in the old days..."_

 

"Yeah."

 

Handy, Naru thought. When Gene died, his wavelength had changed. Now he could talk to Gene without looking like an idiot.

 

"Does that mean our link is fixed?"

 

"Who knows," he replied.

 

Gene sat down next to him.

 

"So _what_ is going on between you guys? Mai quit her job, but what happened after that?"

 

Naru sighed.

 

"A while ago she confessed to me again. I didn't believe her and we had a bit of a fight. I thought she was only staying, because of you," he said and looked at Gene, who didn't say anything. "In the end she retorted that my argument was as valid as me keeping her around, because she is similar to you."

 

His brother smirked, "So you started believing her."

 

Naru nodded.

 

"... and you answer was?"

 

"I never expected her to confess again, so..."

 

"...you didn't know how to answer back then," Gene finished. "You like her, don't you? Why don't you confess to her?"

 

"I just did."

 

"What?" Gene blinked.

 

Naru looked annoyed, "Do I need to repeat myself?"

 

"What. You confessed right under my nose and I didn't know about it?"

 

"Have you read the Dandelion Girl?"

 

"Yes, but... Oh, _oh_."

 

His memory of the book dawned upon him. The ending was quite touching.

 

Naru said, "Madoka lent it to out to Mai, because she wanted to read a short story in English. She knows how it ends."

 

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

"So let me get this straight. You confessed using a book?"

 

“Yes.”

 

"Noll, you're such a nerd," Gene laughed.

 

Naru shrugged and went to stand.

 

“I'm going back to the office. I won't have any work done if I waste any more time on you.”

 

True to his word he didn't even waste any time saying goodbye. His little brother left the barren tree and his twin behind.

 

However, Gene smiled and leaned against the tree with closed eyes.

 

"It would be nice if I could stay here though. I'm tired of being sleepy," he murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, our little Mai trilogy has ended. From now on Naru will be visited by a lot of other people in the park.
> 
> This chapter was rather difficult to write, hence the delay. I have some doubts about it. Also, I'm not sure if I wrote Mai well. She's a tricky person. Gene was being difficult as well. I had to restrain him, because he tends to steal the scenes from his younger brother. 
> 
> Ah well, hurdles like these are there to overcome!


	5. Grease breakdancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is called “Scrambling Rock 'n' Roll”. You can find it on Youtube.

As an experiment he left the pocket mirror behind. He wasn't in the mood to see his twin brother. On a Saturday noon the park was obviously rather busy with picnickers, which could also be blamed on the blooming cherry blossoms. As such, he was pleased to see his favourite spot completely devoid of those bothersome things.

 

However, Naru wrinkled his nose as he drew closer. Not far from the barren tree, a crowd had gathered around a noisy band and some oddly clothed break-dancers. Naru considered leaving the place in search for another, but the singer's voice caught his attention. A male voice amplified by a microphone and speakers sang a Japanese rock and roll song.

 

"I gathered some some money and came from a faraway town.

Without even frolicking around to my heart's content

I lost my way in a jungle land."

 

Naru went closer to the stage to see who the singer was. He was dressed in a white shirt, shiny black jeans and jacket. Naru stared at the SPR irregular for a while and then considered backing out. It was going to be awkward if the monk knew he was watching. Naru wasn't a music person. Let alone a rock and roll fanatic. With his light brown hair tied behind the back of his head, the monk plucked at his bass and roared the following into the microphone:

 

“In the darkness a sleepy boy lacking sleep

weaves together his loneliness and dreams.

Even if the accelerator of my frightened heart blows out

I won't run away from the city!”

 

Unfortunately for him, the crowd had expanded and there was no way out. Suddenly, Naru realized that he had been attracting some annoying teenage girls. They eyed him as if he was a piece of meat. Instead of squirming his way out to the back, he decided to leave through the left side of the crowd. When the band began rocking their way through the chorus again, the singer took the microphone and sang to the crowd.

 

"SUKURAMBURINGU ROCK 'N' ROLL! 

SUKURAMBURINGU ROCK 'N' ROLL!"

 

Their eyes fatefully met.

 

"HELLO SUNSHINE ROCK 'N' ROLL!"

 

Naru froze. The confused crowd stopped cheering, but the monk continued singing with what were the original lyrics. The crowd seemingly forgot the lapse and went on cheering. Likewise the break-dancers were thrown off for a second, but continued their routine. Naru wisely left the crowd through the side and went to the barren tree.

 

When the song ended, a man yelled at the bassist, "Norio! You got the lyrics wrong!"

 

"Huh what? I did? Oh sorry 'bout that, Suzuki-san," Takigawa said, sweat-dropping. He didn't know what was so bad about it. He was standing in for the lead-singer after all, so it was only inevitable he would forget the lyrics.

 

"It's no problem. The dancers want to take a break. Should I get you some beer?" Suzuki asked.

 

"Ahaha, I had my share last night," The monk smiled uneasily. "I'm still recovering!"

 

"How about some tea from the vending machine over there?" Suzuki pointed at somewhere in the distance.

 

"Sure! Oh, but... Get two for me, please? Think I spotted a friend in the crowd just now," Takigawa said. "He might like some tea too."

 

Suzuki frowned.

 

"All right. I'll be back soon."

 

 

* * *

 

 

He sat down by the barren tree. Naru browsed to the music player on his smart-phone and took out his earphones. Actually he did not listen to music in his spare time. Now that there was a noisy band in the vicinity of his favourite spot in the park, he would rather listen to music that he chose himself.

 

Before he could press the play button he heard a familiar voice.

 

"Oy! Naru!"

 

The monk approached him with a silly grin.

 

"Bou-san..."

 

"Now now what do we have here... Naru-bou in a public park.... trying to get a tan!"

 

When he was met with an expressionless face Takigawa laughed uneasily to himself. Crap.

 

"Or not? So uh yeah, what are you doing here?"

 

Naru sighed.

 

"Sunlight."

 

"So it's a tan after all?"

 

"No. On doctor's orders."

 

"Oh."

 

The conversation ended. Takigawa was at a loss on how to carry it any further. He knew Naru wasn't the type for small talk, but he hoped there was at least _something_ that they could talk about outside of paranormal stuff and the like. The monk pondered. Music, girlfriends, bars, night clubs... No stop! Takigawa groaned. Why would he talk with Naru about those kind of things! There was no way Naru would-

 

"Bou-san."

 

Surprisingly, Naru took the lead. Takigawa eyed him carefully.

 

"Yes?"

 

"Why are you here?"

 

"Well, to play music, obviously. You saw that."

 

"No, why in this park?"

 

Takigawa frowned and wondered why he would ask that particular question.

 

"Hm. Our band got hired to play music for some event in this park. Our lead singer suddenly got a problem with his voice on the way here, so I had to step in."

 

"I see."

 

Suddenly a muscled man joined them. At first sight he seemed intimidating, but friendly.

 

"Norio! Is this your friend?"

 

"Oh, Suzuki-san. Yeah, this is Na- I mean, Shibuya," Takigawa quickly corrected with smile. "Shibuya, this is Suzuki-san. He's the event organizer."

 

Naru nodded politely at Suzuki.

 

"Ryuuzaki said he could sing again. You can take a break," Suzuki said, and threw Takigawa and Naru some cans, "Here's your tea."

 

"Thank you! I'll pay you back soon."

 

"Oh no need for that," the man smiled, and then looked at Naru, "Hey, why don't you watch our break-dance event?"

 

"Yeah, wanna see them up close?" Takigawa said, and grinning, "The rockabilly dancers of Yoyogi park!"

 

In truth Naru hadn't even paid attention to the dancers. He had no interest and was about to decline. Before he could do so Suzuki yanked him by the arm to the monk's horror.

 

"Come on, boy! You're gonna like this!" Suzuki laughed, not releasing his strong grip on the boy's arm.

 

"Oy oy, Suzuki-san!" The monk protested, following them, "You can't just drag, Na- I mean, Shibuya to- Ack, are you even listening. Suzuki-san~"

 

The next moment Naru found himself at the front of a crowd and completely unable to move. His shoulder felt sore. Suzuki had conveniently disappeared. The band started playing an Elvis song. In front of the stage the men with their black hair slicked to the back, dressed in leather and denim made their appearance. Some people were taking pictures or just snickering, but most appeared to be there to cheer on the noisy band. Naru just blankly watched the moves the men busted out, and drank some tea. Silly dance moves and jumping.

 

When something jumped from above his head and made its unwelcome appearance, he nearly spit out the contents of his mouth.

 

After a while, Takigawa arrived at his side.

 

"Sorry about that, Naru-bou," he apologized. "Suzuki-san can be a bit... overwhelming."

 

Still drinking his tea, Naru completely ignored him. The monk knew he was angry and cried a little on the inside. Then he sighed and resolved to watching the rockabilly break-dancers. A few women clothed in colourful dresses had joined the Elvis clones and jived along with them. The dancers looked like they came straight from the movie 'Grease'.

 

Takigawa stopped. Wait what. What was that just now? He could have sworn there was a strange figure in black among the dancers. It had appeared for just a second and awfully looked like... He looked to the side. There was Naru. Oh come on, Takigawa thought, that lad would never dance, let alone break-dance, in this kind of group even if he was held at gunpoint. Just the image of Naru the narcissist dancing like this was... painful.

 

But wait.

 

Could it be? Nah, it couldn't be, right?

 

Takigawa couldn't remember the last time when he saw a ghost in broad daylight. In his childhood, yes, but then the accident happened.

 

"Haa... I think I'm seeing double," he muttered with a deep sigh.

 

Beside him Naru _crushed_ the can rather loudly with his hand. For a moment Takigawa got frightened, not realizing the boy had finished his drink. He hesitantly asked, "Something wrong, Naru?"

 

He icily replied, "This tea is horrible."

 

Oh right, he was quite particular about his tea. Suddenly, Takigawa remembered the unopened can in his hands. He clicked it open and drank the bitter green tea.

 

"Ugh. Yeah it is kind of horrible."

 

Perhaps he should just blame it on a hangover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess a certain spirit really is out there to make Naru's life miserable. The green tea isn't getting better either.
> 
> By the way, those dancers do exist and meet regularly in Yoyogi Park! Go to Youtube, type Yoyogi Rockabillies and watch a video.


	6. Double the trouble

Gene slowly walked away from the shadows under the barren tree. It turned out that he was able to move away from the tree within certain boundaries. Each day he tried to test the limits and every time he was able move further and further from where he started. Once he reached the "border" his hands and feet faded away at the tips. He didn't dare to discover what happened if he crossed the border.

 

His brother's mirror experiment had a negative result. With any type of mirror left at home, Noll theorized that Gene had become attached to the tree for a certain reason. He suggested that Gene unconsciously started to use the tree as a source of spiritual energy. Possibly as a means of "survival". It also explained the decrease of sleepiness which he experiences when a "spiritual realm" closes at the end of a case. Even though he must have other theories, that was all he said to Gene after that 'dance incident'.

 

But why was Gene's "area of mobility" expanding?

 

Noll spent most of his breaks theorizing why it had such an effect on his brother. Sometimes he seemed disappointed that he let it go on for too long. There certainly was one negative effect: Gene was stuck here and not able to join Noll during cases. Gene worried about that quite a bit, but Noll and the others seemed to cope well.

 

"Why don't you just say that you want to see me?" He muttered as he looked back at his brother’s sleeping form.

 

He knew that Noll went to the park more often than he initially let on. Noll even said that he saw Gene more asleep than conscious during the first couple of weeks. That meant he must have made a trip to the park nearly every day. Gene was right. These days he was more often awake than asleep. He would even wait for Noll and see him come from afar.

 

Was Gene bored? For now, he wasn't.

 

Luckily, Yoyogi park was huge. According to Noll he only had "access" to about less than a quarter of the entire park so far. That didn't include the nearby Meiji Shrine which Gene visited when he arrived in Tokyo for the first time. He had skipped Yoyogi park back then. Gene sighed. Almost five years had passed.

 

Although he wasn't here by choice, it could have been worse given his situation. In fact, he rather enjoyed being here in the park. Being among the living so to say. Among those living he included the small white bunny wearing a brown waistcoat in front of him. It sniffed near his feet. He looked around. There was no caretaker in sight. The dressed-up bunny wore a red bowtie. Gene decided to call it Lewis for convenience's sake.

 

"Hey Lewis, heading somewhere?"

 

“Lewis” ignored him. Or rather, the bunny didn't hear the pouting young man.

 

When the bunny drew closer, he crouched down to look at the small creature with his cold blue eyes. The bunny appeared to be unfazed and twitched its nose. Then he tried pressing the tip of his finger against its nose.

 

Wiggle.

 

Gene nearly squealed, "So cute!"

 

The bunny ran off into the opposite direction after the apparent cold touch of his finger.

 

"There you are."

 

He noticed a recognizable figure in the distance and squinted. A short young man with blonde hair, blue eyes and wearing casual clothes.

 

Wouldn’t that be John?

 

It looked like the bunny was in his care. John came over to pick up Lewis who presumably escaped.

 

"There, there girl. What're you so frightened of?"

 

So Lewis was female after all? He sighed a little and inwardly apologized to the bunny.

 

"Father, father!" A girl's voice shouted behind John. "Have you found Alice?"

 

John turned around and faced the girl. The girl wore pigtails and looked about ten years old. She had a serious expression on her face. A smaller boy clung to her shirt. They looked like siblings.

 

"Yes, I did. But she seems a bit frightened. I wonder what happened?"

 

John stared into his direction and the girl did too. Gene looked away and whistled innocently.

 

"Well, there isn't anything there."

 

The priest sighed and said: "Kanna-chan. Can you tell the others to stop searching?"

 

“Of course!”

 

Kanna nodded and ran off. John crouched down and showed Lewis, err, Alice to the other boy. He happily looked at the bunny. Ah, how nice it is to be young, Gene wistfully thought. He preferred dogs over rabbits, but the fur looked so nice and the ears were so cute.

 

Soon, a group of nine children joined John and the boy. Gene's jaw dropped. Is John a babysitter or a priest? When everyone of the group seemed to have gathered, John signalled the kids to follow him. They all tailed after him. What an adorable and innocent bunch, Gene thought.

 

But then he remembered a certain someone and had an idea.

 

He ran over to John's side, made sure to keep up with his pace and stretched out his hand to the bunny.

 

“I'm sorry, Alice. This won't take long.”

 

He never possessed an animal, or a human for that matter, but at least he wore a waistcoat and a stupid bowtie.

 

John yelped when the bunny, or rather, Gene struggled out of his arms. Gene dropped down to the grass and tried to make his tiny limbs move.

 

This was more difficult than he expected it to be.

 

"Alice! Alice!" The kids shouted as they frantically tried to pick him up.

 

Gene attempted to confirm his location. Everything looked so high from down here. But there was one tree that couldn't be missed.

 

Somewhat disoriented, he ran as fast as he could into the direction where he came from. The barren tree was there, where he would be. He hoped he would still be there, or else it was all for naught.

 

He spotted Noll, who was fortunately still out there, asleep.

 

_Sleeping beauty, wait for me!_

 

He crawled into his brother's lap (in retrospect he found that a very awkward thing to do) and attempted to wake him up.

 

It didn't take long before Noll stared him down with the look of absolute horror in his eyes. Gene was inwardly pleased with his brother's reaction and left the bunny at once. He immediately flew up back into the barren tree and overlooked the situation.

 

His brother didn't move.

 

The bunny twitched its nose and seemed very confused.

 

John stood meters away with his jaw dropped.

 

Around ten children charged at Noll while screaming, "ALICE!"

 

One of the boys took Alice from Noll's lap and gave it to a girl who presumably owned the bunny. She seemed rather relieved. The other children hovered over Noll’s face. They all looked at him curiously. Noll stood up quite immediately. As expected, he didn't seem very comfortable with the presence of the bunny and the children.

 

Noll noticed a horror-stricken John.

 

"John," Noll started, having recovered himself.

 

John blinked and tried to make his mouth move.

 

"H-hello sunshine!" He blurted out.

 

One of the girls looked at John and cheerily repeated after him: "Hello sunshine!"

 

Then all children kept repeating the phrase to Noll.

 

"Hello sunshine! Hello sunshine!"

 

Gene laughed.

 

A boy went to stand next to him. He looked about ten years old.

 

"Oy, Sunshine-san. Are you a ghost?"

 

Noll looked aghast. “No.”

 

"Really? You should get tan, Sunshine-san."

 

John couldn’t possibly look more horrified than before.

 

"Ryo- Ryousuke-kun! Please don't say that!"

 

One of the girls nodded and pushed Ryousuke out of the way. She was Kanna, the girl Gene saw earlier with John and the little boy.

 

"Yeah, that's rude," said Kanna, and looked at Noll.

 

"You look like one of the idols my older sister really loves. Is Sunshine really your name?"

 

"No, it's Shibuya..." John explained for Noll, who couldn’t dignify her an answer.

 

Another girl joined in. "No, Sunshine-san must be giving you a fake name."

 

Kanna glared at her.

 

"Hey, don't bother me. I'm trying to pick him up!"

 

Gene widened his eyes. Why was she trying to pick his brother up? He's not worth it despite the looks!

 

She explained, "He's cute. Cuter than my sister's idol."

 

Gene twitched an eyebrow. No, he's not cute. He's handsome or cool. But _not_ cute.

 

“And smarter.”

 

She pointed at the book Noll was reading before he dozed off: _Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism_. It was a translated edition of a book which Takigawa liked and recommended to his brother.

 

“He can even read English books.”

 

Gene facepalmed. “Kid, that’s his native language.”

 

Ryousuke huffed, “So what? He still looks like a creepy ghost. It doesn’t matter if he’s smart or whatever.”

 

Kanna glared at the boy.

 

“You really don’t get it, huh?! If I take him home, he can help me with my English homework.”

 

Right now, Gene really wanted to take back what he said about them being ‘an adorable and innocent bunch’.

 

Understandably, Noll looked very irritated and quickly moved past the children.

 

"Noll!" Gene shouted.

 

His brother glared back.

 

_(I know you did that all of that. Now leave me alone.)_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, it's been a while since I last updated. In the mean time I completed the translation of the last Ghost Hunt novels "Akumu no sumu ie". You can find it on [spr.dreamwidth.org](http://spr.dreamwidth.org). Please check it out if you haven't already!
> 
> In chapter 1, I mentioned that I didn't have much of a plan. Well, I decided to inject more plot into this thing. I also have a pretty good idea where it's heading to. You may have noticed in this chapter: More mystery. A little more drama. …I will keep the humor though.


	7. Super deluxe double

 

John immediately stepped forward to meet Noll.

 

"Shibuya-san. I'm really sorry for the trouble. I honestly didn't expect this to happen."

 

"No, it's fine," Noll sighed.

 

John looked relieved. "I'm glad to hear that."

 

Gene went to stand next to them.

 

"... John doesn't seem like the sarcastic type. Why'd he greet you like that?"

 

Noll seemed to agree.

 

"John, what did you just say to me?"

 

John looked confused. "Huh?"

 

"When you greeted me."

 

The priest blankly looked at him for a few moments, then he made a difficult face as he tried to recall it. In the end, he blinked.

 

"... I forgot?"

 

Gene raised an eyebrow.

 

"What did the children say after you greeted me?" Noll asked.

 

John pondered again.

 

".... Sunshine."

 

"You said, hello sunshine."

 

John blinked again, then leaned forward a little.

 

"I said that? Are you really sure?"

 

Noll sighed. "So you don't remember..."

 

"I'm not sure what is going on, but... I definitely would have used 'Shibuya-san'. And I wouldn't have called you by your real name in this situation either."

 

One of the girls spoke up. "Oh? What's Sunshine-san's real name?"

 

The two ignored her.

 

Gene sighed. It was true. In this situation John wouldn't have called him Oliver. If they were talking in a private setting and in English, then perhaps he would have. But even so, John would have defaulted to simply "Shibuya-san", because that's what he usually called him.

 

"Has this happened before?" John asked.

 

Noll didn’t answer, and instead asked another question: "... have you noticed other odd things?"

 

"Well, the bunny escaped all of sudden."

 

"Other than that."

 

"Um," John looked around and his eyes predictably stopped at the tree. "That tree isn't blooming."

 

"Correct."

 

"... Is there something wrong with it? Is it ill?"

 

"I asked the staff and they claim nothing is wrong with it."

 

Suddenly, they heard a boy's voice below them.

 

"It's creepy."

 

"Yeah, it's really creepy." A girl nodded.

 

Ryousuke said, "My old man told me it's cursed."

 

"Why?" Noll turned to look at him.

 

The boy huffed and looked away. "My old man said I shouldn't talk ghosts."

 

"You got the wrong one, little guy." Gene said with a grin.

 

"John." Noll sighed and looked away.

 

The priest smiled at Ryousuke. "Shibuya-san is not a ghost... Um, what does your father know about the tree?"

 

Ryousuke looked down at his feet. "He told me a mean spirit lives in the tree."

 

"Do you know who told him that?"

 

"Hmm... Some woman... she was a fortune teller."

 

Noll facepalmed. "Tell your old man she's a fraud."

 

Ryousuke widened his eyes and glared. "But everything's she said is true! She told mom and pops they'd get pregnant a lot! I got TWO older sisters and ONE younger brother!"

 

"....Really." Noll didn't look impressed.

 

"And mom's pregnant again with twins! TWINS! The proof is in the omikuji!"

 

"Goodness, that sounds horrifying," Noll muttered.

 

"Noll. Keep it down," Gene said as tried to prod his brother.

 

Ryousuke knitted his eyebrows and glared at him. "What? Do you have anything against twins? I will beat you up."

 

Noll sighed and rolled his eyes.

 

"Trust me. It's far better to be a singleton."

 

Gene turned his head immediately. "What did you say?"

 

Noll ignored him.

 

"I think I agree," Kanna suddenly said.

 

Ryousuke yelled, "Kanna!"

 

"Shut up." The girl said. "Maybe she gave him one too."

 

Ryousuke blinked and turned to look at Noll again.

 

"Oh yeah, mister! That woman must have given you one too right?"

 

Noll shrugged. He already looked tired from dealing with the children.

 

The boy continued, "What about the girl you were with? She got one too right?"

 

Noll seemed surprised. Gene hummed a little.

 

"Which girl?" John asked.

 

"Mai," Noll quickly replied.

 

Kanna said, "She gives it to couples who are under this tree."

 

"Eh?!" John widened his eyes.

 

"We're not a couple." Noll quickly said.

 

"Oh, I see...."

 

Gene frowned. He's denying it in front of John?

 

"That's not relevant. Even if you're not, you _will_ become a couple," the boy said with determination. There was a fiery passion in his eyes. He truly seemed to believe in that woman's powers.

 

(What a powerful imagination), a thought leaked from Noll's side.

 

"The kiddo is right though," Gene said. "Ask him why?"

 

(I don't know why I'm taking questions from you...)

 

(Well, the boy looks so keen for you to do so... I'd ask him myself if I could.)

 

"Why?" Noll irritably asked, staring at the sparkly brown eyes of the young boy who waited for his questions.

 

"Because...” Ryousuke waved a finger. “It's a super deluxe DOUBLE omikuji!"

 

The boy grinned. The other children ooh'd and aah'd. Gene doubled over in laughter.

 

Noll slowly moved his gaze to John, and spoke in English with a deadpan voice: "...I don't understand Japanese religious practices."

 

John looked absolutely baffled. "Me neither."

 

Gene excitedly poked his brother. "Ask more! I want to know more about this! Do me a favour, bro!"

 

(Gene. Will you stop using me as your proxy?)

 

(PLEASE.)

 

Noll began to look desperate.

 

(...What question?)

 

"I don't know! Just ask the kid something."

 

His brother sighed and turned to Ryousuke.

 

"What about the business dealings?"

 

" _That_ 's what you are curious about?" Gene said and fell over in disappointment. He knew he shouldn't have left it up to Noll.

 

Kanna replied instead. "Mommy and daddy's business is going well."

 

"They're twins," John explained, gesturing at Kanna and Ryousuke with a wry smile.

 

_Oh._

 

Naru and Gene stared at the boy and the girl. Well, that makes a whole lot of sense.

 

Ryousuke continued, "The omikuji said they both got great blessings for their business. They run a successful candy store with loooots of staff members."

 

Kanna nodded.

 

"A lot of visitors all over the world visit our store every day," she said, and then stared fixedly at Noll's eyes: "How about you, Sunshine-san? Is your business going well? Will you get married?"

 

Ryousuke cornered him from the other side with a big smile: "Wil you have lots of children?"

 

Without responding, the young man turned around and walked away. Gene caught a flash of a visibly distraught face and looked down at the grass.

 

"Children, huh..."

 

Ryousuke and Kanna appeared somewhat embarrassed of their own pushiness when John shook his head a little. They awkwardly decided to join the other children who had lost interest in “Sunshine-san” and were playing with the bunny.

 

The priest went after Noll. Gene followed him.

 

"....Shibuya-san." John said with a worried face as he caught up.

 

Noll stopped walking.

 

"Matsuzaki-san told us she is going on holidays. When is she leaving?"

 

That's right, Gene thought. If there was anyone with an affinity with trees, it would be her. She's the key to solving this case. If it was a case.

 

"Um... If I'm not mistaken Matsuzaki-san left a few days ago."

 

"When will she return?"

 

"Within three months."

 

"Three months?"

 

"Didn't you hear? Matsuzaki-san will backpack for three months in the US."

 

* * *

 

 

After John and the kids left, his brother spent the next few minutes glaring at his book. Gene could practically read the words ‘ _Where is Matsuzaki-san when you need her_ ’ on his face.

 

"Look, I know you're mad, but could you listen to me?"

 

(What.)

 

"Why didn't you tell John you're dating Mai?"

 

Noll seemed caught off guard by the topic.

 

(Why would I?)

 

"Because you _are_ dating her?"

 

(... We're not dating.)

 

Gene frowned. "But you confessed! And she accepted!"

 

Noll sighed.

 

(That doesn't mean we're dating. Mai told me she was invited to do an omiai before I confessed.)

 

An omiai? Gene's expression went blank.

 

"Wait... When did she tell you?"

 

(Who knows. You were asleep back then.)

 

Gene facepalmed. An idiot. My brother is an idiot.

 

"Why aren't you telling me the crucial details..." He groaned.

 

Noll shrugged.

 

"But... why? From what you’ve told me she doesn't even have family to speak of."

 

His brother sighed.

(The matchmaker is her old teacher, the one she lived with during middle school after her mother passed away. The omiai partner is her teacher's nephew. Mai called her to tell about us, but the teacher already arranged a meeting.)

 

He explained with a monotonous voice.

 

Gene took a few moments to let this information sink in.

 

Okay. He could understand Mai's side. She wasn't in an easy position. And Mai probably felt that she owed the woman a lot after her mother's death. It would cause her former teacher a lot of embarrassment if she turned the nephew down before even meeting him.

 

Wait.

 

"But she _is_ turning him down, right? I mean, she did loudly proclaim that she would _never_ have an arranged marriage."

 

Noll nodded. It seemed like he trusted her to do just that.

 

(I told her to sort it out first. So I'll just have to wait.)

 

"Okay. I can get behind that. ...I guess," Gene muttered.

 

Noll must have been disappointed, but he didn't show it on his face.

 

Still, it didn't set well with Gene. It didn't make any sense. Although he couldn't put his finger on _why_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boy/girl twins definitely stole some scenes: Kanna is the pragmatic, but opportunistic older sister. Her younger brother Ryousuke is a dreamer who looooves his big family. I had fun writing them!
> 
> Anyway, here ends the double chapter. I hope you liked it.


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